As officers of the law, they need to present a respectable and sometimes stern face to the public. But according to policewomen, there's no reason why they can't look good as well.

They are pleading with their bosses to dump the current uniform design, which they say is unflattering and impractical.

They complain that the oldfashioned cut of the trousers does nothing to enhance their nether regions - and the high waist makes them look like X Factor judge Simon Cowell.

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Unflattering: Female police officers have complained about their uniform's high waistbands, similar to Simon Cowell's dress (left)

Unflattering: Female police officers have complained about their uniform's high waistbands, similar to Simon Cowell's dress (left)

The garments are also bulky and make it hard to chase offenders.

And it is not just the bottom half of the uniform which is hopelessly unsuited to a woman's shape, according to officers.

The stab vests are apparently extremely uncomfortable for those with larger chests.

Some women have even chosen to wear men's uniforms because they fit better than their own.

Their complaints, recorded in a survey by the magazine Police Review, are already being addressed.

The Metropolitan Police has commissioned students from the London College of Fashion to design a new uniform.

Judging by the survey, the students will need to put serious thought into the trousers.

One West Midlands PC said: "My friend made a comment when I joined the service that all policewomen have fat behinds.

"I had to explain that it's not their bums - it's the trousers."

Another frontline West Midlands Police PC said: "They are the most uncomfortable things created in the history of clothing - from the Simon Cowell-style waistbands, which prevent you from breathing properly, to the ill-fitted sizing."

PC Catherine Moore, from West Midlands Police, added: "The uniform is totally designed for men. For a start, the fleece and fluorescent jackets come in men's sizes and tend to be too long for women's bodies."

PC Moore also said that as a woman with a larger chest size, she finds the stab vests "incredibly uncomfortable".

The WPCs have called for uniforms which give them greater flexibility of movement, and have requested combat trousers for frontline officers.

Their calls have been acknowledged by the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Peter Fahy, chief constable of Cheshire police and ACPO lead on race and diversity, told Police Review: "Having listened to the British Association for Women in Policing, many forces wanted to produce a better uniform themselves.

"It is at that level that proposals need to be trialled with male and female officers."